Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Fact Sheet

Lourdes Salvador's Column

Lourdes Salvador is the founder of MCS America, a science writer, and a social advocate for the greater awareness of environmental contamination, human toxicology, and propagation of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) as a disorder of organic biological origin induced by toxic environmental insults.

Major Public Health Concern
• At least 45 million people in the US report sensitivity to various chemicals.1
• About 3 million Americans are diagnosed with MCS.1
• MCS affects people of all ages, economic status, race, and both genders.1
• Chemicals that people with MCS react to are toxic and affect everyone to some extent.

Medical Findings
• Brain scans show reduced blood flow to the brain when people with MCS are under chemical exposure.2-7
• Physical variances identified in MCS include brain inflammation, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, cardiac and airway disease, and auto-immune disorders.8-14
• Mast cell activation and disorders of porphyrin metabolism have been linked to MCS.15
• Genetic variations relating to detoxification processes have been linked to MCS.16

The Cost of Environmental Illnesses
• Annual expenditures for healthcare and lost productivity due to MCS are estimated at $71.8 billion dollars per year.18